Gridserve introduces Electric Cargo Route

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【Summary】Gridserve is leading a consortium to decarbonize the UK's road freight sector with its Electric Freightway project. The government is funding four projects involving 370 zero-emission HGVs and infrastructure. Gridserve will demonstrate up to 140 battery electric HGVs and 220 chargers, while three other projects will showcase battery electric and hydrogen fuel HGVs.

FutureCar Staff Oct 20, 2023 9:17 AM PT

Gridserve introduces Electric Cargo Route

Gridserve is leading a government-backed consortium to decarbonise the UK's road freight sector through a project called Electric Freightway. The government has announced £200m of funding for demonstration projects focused on freight decarbonisation, supporting four collaborative projects involving 370 zero emission HGVs and associated infrastructure across Great Britain.

Gridserve's Electric Freightway will showcase up to 140 battery electric HGVs provided by DAF and Volvo, along with up to 220 chargers, 70% of which will be open-access. The other three projects include Project Zero Emission North (ZEN) Freight, which will demonstrate up to 70 battery electric and 30 hydrogen fuel HGVs, and Voltempo's eFREIGHT 2030 project, which will demonstrate up to 100 battery electric HGVs in partnership with Renault Trucks, Scania, and DAF. Hydrogen Aggregated Logistics (HyHaul), led by Protium, will deploy around 30 hydrogen fuel cell HGVs onto the M4.

Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman stated that the government is investing £200m to deploy 370 zero emission trucks and an additional £2.4m to pioneer green tech through the Freight Innovation Fund. Gridserve has committed to installing over 200 High Power chargers and at least two 1 MW capacity High Power chargers within the first two years of the project.

Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve, explained that the challenge has been to achieve the same 500-mile range as a diesel vehicle with an electric truck. However, Gridserve's plan is to provide truck drivers with the most powerful EV chargers during their 45-minute breaks, eliminating the need to change their behaviors. Gridserve also aims to optimize energy consumption and freight logistics efficiency through features like automatic charging and the reservation of charging bays.

Sam Clarke, chief vehicle officer of Gridserve, emphasized the importance of getting the infrastructure in place and testing vehicles on the road within the next two years. He believes that there are learnings from the car world that can be applied to this project, and its success will be based on the same principles.